CONCORD, N.C. – Kyle Busch and his crew had all three elements necessary to win the pole for Saturday night’s NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race — speed on the racetrack, speed on and off pit road and speed from the pit crew during the mandatory green-flag stop at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

With a total time of one minute, 59.112 seconds (136.006 mph) over three laps and the pit stop, Busch edged Ryan Newman in Friday’s time trials for the top starting spot in the race with a $1 miilion first prize.

Newman (135.202 mph) went out second and was the only driver other than Busch to post a sub-two-minute qualifying effort (1:59.821). Fastest in Friday’s practice, Busch was the last driver to make a qualifying attempt under the format unique to the All-Star Race.

Denny Hamlin (134.811 mph) claimed the third starting position, followed by Cup points leader Greg Biffle (134.529 mph) and Kevin Harvick (134.304 mph).

Busch won his third All-Star pole but has never won the race. Neither has his team, Joe Gibbs Racing. Busch started from the top spot last year, but Carl Edwards took home the $1 million.

Saturday’s race will be contested in five segments, four of 20 laps each followed by a 10-lap dash to the finish. The winners of the first four segments enter the pits in the top four spots for a mandatory stop before the final segment.

“We unloaded with a really fast racecar today,” Busch said. “The guys made some minor changes to it to kind of feel it out and make it better where we could. The guys did a great job there with the pit stop, coming down pit road and changing four (tires) and then getting back out there and coming back to the line pretty quick.

“The rules change every year, so I guess this year you’ve got to make sure you win a segment, so you can at least have a shot at starting up front for the final segment.”

Coming to the checkered flag, Kasey Kahne lost control of his No. 5 Chevrolet and slammed into the Turn 4 wall. Kahne did not post a qualifying time and will start from the rear of the field in a backup car.

Kahne was on sticker tires after the mandatory pit stop.

“I was just trying to get all I could and went a little too far,” Kahne said.

AJ Allmendinger won the pole for Saturday’s Sprint Showdown, which will send its top two finishers to the main event. Allmendinger covered the 1.5-mile distance in 28.057 seconds (192.465 mph) to beat Martin Truex Jr. (191.049 mph) for the top starting spot in the qualifying race.

“For me, it was the perfect lap,” said Allmendinger, who ran within inches of the Turn 4 wall on the money lap. “More than anything, the car stuck to the racetrack. We struggled a little bit in practice. The (car) had speed in it, but it wasn’t really comfortable.

“So (crew chief) Todd Gordon and the guys went to work, and I felt like that was as perfect as I could run a lap.”

Dale Earnhardt Jr. (191.002 mph) will start third. In addition to the top two finishers in the Showdown, the winner of the Sprint Fan Vote will transfer to the All-Star Race.

Eldora Speedway will once again play host to the all-star dirt Late Model race featuring more than 25 world renowned drivers as they battle for dirt supremacy on the half-mile clay oval where HBO Pay-Per-View® will present the event LIVE in high-definition to the entire nation. Net proceeds from the telecast will support Feed The Children, a U.S.-based charity that domestically has helped more than 365,000 families since 2009 through its Americans Feeding Americans Caravan.

The eighth annual Prelude To The Dream joins racing luminaries from all disciplines at one track, on one night as they pilot 2,300-pound dirt Late Model stock cars capable of putting out more than 800 horsepower. It is One Perfect Night.

Tony Kanaan of the IZOD IndyCar Series will again compete against Danica Patrick, who in 2012 has made the full transition from IndyCar to NASCAR. They’ll rub fenders with straight-liners Ron Capps and Cruz Pedregon of the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series. Dirt regulars Steve Kinser and Donny Schatz, who have collectively won 24 World of Outlaws championships, will race for the first time in dirt Late Models. All will join NASCAR stars such as Tony Stewart, Jimmie Johnson, Clint Bowyer, Ryan Newman, Kasey Kahne, Bobby Labonte and many others, including a band of brothers:the Busch brothers – Kurt and Kyle – and the Dillon brothers – Austin and Ty.

The live, commercial-free, high-definition broadcast will begin at 8 p.m. EDT (5 p.m. PDT) with an immediate replay. The Prelude To The Dream has a suggested retail price of $24.95 and is available to more than 92 million pay-per-view homes. HBO Pay-Per-View is the leading supplier of event programming in the pay-per-view industry. Ordering information and up-to-the minute racing information is available at either www.PreludeToTheDream.org or www.HBO.com. Updates can also be found on Facebook at www.facebook.com/PreludeToDream and on Twitter at twitter.com/PreludeToDream(@PreludeToDream).

The 2012 edition of the Prelude To The Dream includes hot laps, qualifying, heat races and a 40-lap feature with double-file “shootout style” restarts. New participants include Patrick, Kinser, Schatz and Ty Dillon, who will join Stewart, Capps, Kenny Wallace and Kenny Schrader as drivers who have participated in every Prelude To The Dream since 2005, where Wallace was the inaugural winner.

“We have the most diverse group of drivers we’ve ever had for the Prelude, and for the first time, the Prelude will be broadcast in high-definition,” said Stewart, owner of Eldora Speedway and a three-time winner of the Prelude To The Dream. “This year’s event is going to be a can’t-miss show. We’ve added 10 laps to the feature and partnered with a great charity in Feed The Children. You’re going to see some intense racing by everyone, including some drivers completely out of their comfort zone. We’ll all be racing for a trophy, but also to make an impact with the more than 16 million children who are at risk of going hungry right here in America.”

For the top-10 finishers in the Prelude To The Dream, Feed The Children will send a food truck to each driver’s hometown or city of their choice.

“This is an excellent opportunity to bring attention to the nationwide problem of child hunger by working with these world-class drivers,” said Rick England, chairman, Feed The Children board of directors. “Their efforts will allow more families to put food on the table and help us provide a solution to those hard hit by the current economy.”

The seven previous Prelude To The Dream events have collectively raised more than $3.5 million. With each year’s event gaining significant stature and mainstream interest, Stewart’s ultimate goal is to have the 2012 Prelude To The Dream raise $1 million, with the proceeds benefitting Feed The Children.

“It’s an ambitious goal,” admits Stewart, “but if we don’t set the bar high, we’re not pushing ourselves the way we should. That’s our goal, and me and everybody else associated with this event is going to do everything we can to meet that goal. Now, we just need everyone out there to purchase the event, enjoy all the action going on at Eldora, and know that their dollars are going to a very worthy cause.”

“Each year we are thrilled to bring the exciting live action from Eldora into living rooms across the country,” said Tammy Ross, Vice President, HBO Pay-Per-View & Sports. “This year’s benefitting organization, Feed The Children charities’ mission is that no child should go to bed hungry, and the HBO Pay-Per-View team is thrilled to bring the Prelude To The Dream to fans everywhere to help further that mission.”

With no points and no pressure, the Prelude To The Dream is a throwback race, allowing drivers to step back in time and compete for the reasons they all went racing in the first place – pride and a trophy. And they’ll do it on the same surface racing legends A.J. Foyt and Mario Andretti competed on nearly 50 years ago.

For those who want to see the Prelude To The Dream in person, tickets are available online at www.EldoraSpeedway.com or by calling the track office (937) 338-3815. Act fast – the race has sold out in previous years.

DARLINGTON, S.C. – Doubtless Jeff Gordon was happy for his boss.

In a euphoric Victory Lane, Rick Hendrick celebrated his long-awaited 200th victory, a win delivered by five-time champion Jimmie Johnson, NASCAR Sprint Cup racing’s most prolific winner since he entered the series full-time in 2002.

Gordon, however, is a larger part of Hendrick’s milestone than Johnson is. Over a career now in its 20th full season, Gordon has contributed 85 victories to the Hendrick Motorsports ledger. Johnson’s win in Saturday night’s Bojangles’ Southern 500 was his 56th for the organization. Neither Gordon nor Johnson has won a Cup race for anyone else.

But for Gordon, the celebration was tempered with frustration. The four-time champion didn’t have a winning car Saturday night, but he was solidly in the top 10, running eighth when a cut left-rear tire forced him to the pits on Lap 193, barely past the midpoint of the race.

Ultimately, Gordon finished 35th and dropped a spot to 24th in the series standings, one spot behind Mark Martin, who has run only eight of the 11 Cup races this year. The Southern 500 was the latest chapter in a cavalcade of catastrophe for Gordon, who has finished outside the top 20 in seven of 11 races this year.

With 15 races left before the Chase for the Sprint Cup field is set, Gordon faces the very real possibility of missing NASCAR’s playoff. His most likely path to title eligibility would seem to be winning a race or two and claiming one of two wild card spots. To do so, Gordon must get back into the top 20.

Hendrick, who predicted in January that all four of his drivers would qualify for the Chase, acknowledged Gordon’s predicament.

“He’s got to win,” Hendrick said flatly. “He and (crew chief) Alan (Gustafson) know that. As good as he runs — as good as that car has been this year at different places, we can do it.

“It’s an uphill battle, but I’m confident Jeff will put everything he’s got in it, and we’ll win some races with him.”

Gordon’s continued frustration played a strong counterpoint to Hendrick’s jubilation in Victory Lane, but that wasn’t the only stark contrast of the evening. Equally striking is the way Gordon has handled his rash of ill fortune versus the way Kurt Busch handled his on Saturday night.

Yes, Gordon’s language on the radio has been saltier than usual of late, but in question-and-answer sessions with reporters, he has handled his adversity with wry resignation and customary grace.

“I don’t think there’s too many questions about that fact that we’re shooting for a wild card,” Gordon said. “We’re pretty far away from the Top 10. I’m not saying it’s impossible, but I think that the nice thing about that is we just go do what we always try to do, which is win races.”

Gordon made those comments before the Southern 500. Today, they’re even more apropos.

Like Gordon, Busch was running in the top 10 for most of the Southern 500 before disaster struck. On Lap 361 he blew a tire and hit the outside wall near the exit from Turn 2. Ryan Newman checked up behind Busch and was turned into the wall by Aric Almirola.

Busch and Newman brought their wounded cars to the pit road for repairs.

Frustrated and furious, Busch peeled out of his pit stall when the work was complete, driving dangerously close to crewmen and NASCAR officials who were still at work in Newman’s pit.

“It’s easy to see, and it’s easy to say that Kurt blew a fuse again,” Newman said after the race, in a story reported by SI.com. “I’m not sure why he tried to run over our guys and NASCAR officials — and nobody is.

“I think the chemical imbalance speaks for itself.”

Those are harsh words, without specific medical evidence to support them, but the history is there. A tirade against pit reporter Jerry Punch in last year’s season finale at Homestead was the effective final straw in Busch’s relationship with owner Roger Penske and sponsor Shell/Pennzoil.

The 2012 season brought a fresh start with James Finch’s Phoenix Racing, but Saturday’s race has cast an ominous pall over Busch’s efforts to rehabilitate his career. NASCAR is collecting facts and reviewing the circumstances before taking action with respect to the incident, if any, later this week.

In 2007 at Dover, Busch was parked and later fined $100,000 and docked 100 championship points for “buzzing” Tony Stewart’s car on pit road. Stewart’s jackman, Jason Lee, avoided potential injury by jumping onto the hood of Stewart’s car.

Robin Pemberton, NASCAR’s vice president of competition, said at the time that the penalties were designed to focus everyone’s attention on pit road safety. NASCAR will determine this week whether Busch needs a strong reminder.

In a larger sense, the Southern 500 leaves Busch’s career teetering on the brink. If a driver can’t be trusted to avoid the mistakes that have cost him in the past, who will take a chance and hire him? The job with Finch, which Busch could have used as a stepping stone to a bigger team, instead may become the millstone that drowns him.

Gordon and Busch share common ground. Both are enormously gifted wheel men. Both are Sprint Cup champions. In fact, Busch has been one of the top talents in the sport since he arrived in the series full-time in 2001.

There the similarity ends. Busch’s self-destructive lack of restraint is a treacherous threat to his very presence in NASCAR racing.

No matter how bad things get on the racetrack, that’s a problem Jeff Gordon will never have.

The opinions expressed are solely those of the author

DARLINGTON, S.C. — After a stellar qualifying run, Jimmie Johnson said there was some speed left in Darlington Raceway — and Greg Biffle found it.

Biffle toured the 1.366-mile Lady in Black in 27.281 seconds (180.2557 mph) to win the pole for Saturday night’s Bojangles’ Southern 500, beating second-place starter Johnson and third-place Kasey Kahne by .105 seconds.

Biffle, who posted back-to-back wins at Darlington in 2005 and 2006, snagged his second Coors Light Pole Award of the season, his second at the Lady in Black and the 11th of his career.

“This is what a racecar driver looks forward to, showing up every weekend and having a really fast car to drive,” said Biffle, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series leader. “They’re making me look good so far.

“It was a pretty uneventful lap. The car just had a ton of grip — it stuck to the racetrack really, really well. I felt like I was a little bit light down in Turns 1 and 2 — I should have been a little bit quicker down there — but I got a lot out of it in 3 and 4, so it was a great lap.”

Johnson and Kahne ran identical speeds (179.566 mph), with Johnson winning the front-row starting spot from his Hendrick Motorsports teammate on an owner points tiebreaker. Ryan Newman (179.461 mph) qualified fourth, followed by Kyle Busch (179.448 mph).

Johnson said his car was comfortable — perhaps too much so in Turns 3 and 4 of the qualifying lap.

“I knew I left a little time on the table down there, and Greg went out and found it,” Johnson said.

Danica Patrick qualified 38th at 175.497 mph for her Cup debut at Darlington, picking up approximately .75 seconds from her fastest lap in practice. The Southern 500 will be Patrick’s second Cup race and her first in a Cup car with an open motor.

But it’s all part of the trial-by-fire approach to a 10-race schedule she developed with team owner Tony Stewart.

“We definitely struggled in the Cup car (in practice),” Patrick said. “But this was the plan, to do it difficult, and this is one of the places that would really challenge me . . .

“I felt better in qualifying. I ran three quarters of a second quicker than I did in practice. For me, usually if I stink during practice, I don’t usually find a lot in qualifying.”

Note: Scott Riggs, Michael McDowell, Stephen Leicht and Mike Bliss failed to qualify for the 43-car field.

Ryan Newman’s fondness for Darlington Raceway has translated to positive results over the years. A victory has been the only thing lost in translation.

Newman hopes that his luck will change to put him over the hump at NASCAR’s oldest superspeedway in Saturday night’s Bojangles’ Southern 500 (FOX, 7 p.m. ET).

“I’ve always loved Darlington,” Newman said. “When we first went and tested a Nationwide car there back in the day, it just fit me. I’ve always had good cars there, a good feeling and I look forward to another opportunity.”

The opportunities to contend for a win at the historic circuit have been plentiful since Newman joined the Sprint Cup Series full-time in 2002; his Darlington portfolio has an impressive seven top-five finishes in 13 races.

Additionally, Newman — one of the series’ best qualifiers — has five front-row starts and one pole position at the 1.366-mile track. That history could tilt in his favor in Friday’s qualifying as he sits just one pole away from a milestone 50th Coors Light Pole Award.

One thing that hasn’t been on his side is Darlington racing luck.

“We had a dominant race car (in 2003) and they gave me a drink bottle and I hit the kill switch and we never realized it for six laps under green,” said Newman, who led the most laps (120) but finished 23rd in that year’s Southern 500. “Crazy things have happened to us and we’ll just try to go back and try another shot. We used to have two chances and now we only have one, so there’s a lot of pressure on us.”

Another driver who will grab plenty of spotlight at Darlington is Danica Patrick, who appeared with Newman at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Thursday to promote the May 27 Coca-Cola 600. Patrick will be pulling double-duty in the Nationwide and Sprint Cup races this weekend in hopes of gaining as much experience as possible in her first visit to one of the sport’s trickiest tracks.

Patrick plans to enter 10 Sprint Cup races this year; given the choice, she said she’d rather Darlington came later on that 10-race slate.

“I just think that’s not the way the schedule worked out,” said Patrick, whose only other Sprint Cup start was an abbreviated 38th-place finish this year in the Daytona 500. “I mean to be honest, it was going to be Darlington first, so at least I’ve driven the car, at least I’m comfortable with the guys, at least I’m fitting comfortably in the car, and we’ve had time to test. It could’ve been worse, but it’s as good as it can be.”

Greg Biffle, on the heels of his fifth-place finish last weekend at Talladega, remains the Sprint Cup Series leader, heading Roush Fenway Racing teammate Matt Kenseth by seven points in the standings. Biffle is a two-time Southern 500 winner, going back-to-back in 2005 and ’06.

PASTRANA, BLANEY BACK FOR MORE
Two drivers that made splashy debuts in the NASCAR Nationwide Series last month at Richmond International Raceway are back for second helpings this weekend.

Action sports star Travis Pastrana and second-generation driver Ryan Blaney will be back on track Friday night (ESPN2, 7 p.m. ET) in the VFW Sports Clips Help a Hero 200 at Darlington Raceway.

Pastrana finished 22nd in his series debut April 27 at Richmond after incurring a late-race penalty for speeding on pit road. Blaney, son of Sprint Cup driver Dave Blaney, dazzled with a solid seventh-place finish in a star-studded field. Both drivers emerged from Richmond with their cars relatively unscathed, but expect Darlington to be less forgiving.

In an effort to pick up advice on getting around the sport’s oldest superspeedway, Pastrana sought out one of the masters — NASCAR Hall of Famer David Pearson, a South Carolina native and 10-time Darlington winner. The two met during a promotional appearance at Greenville-Pickens Speedway, and Pastrana was grateful to learn from a stock-car racing legend.

“It really has been amazing to see the people willing to help me each week,” Pastrana said. “I have received help from Jimmie Johnson, Matt Crafton and Ryan Truex, just to name a few. It’s just amazing all these people are willing to help me when they have to race against me each week. In motocross, you never told another competitor your secrets. It just wasn’t part of the culture.”

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. enters the event with a head of steam as the new Nationwide Series points leader, five points ahead of Elliott Sadler after last weekend’s third-place effort at Talladega. In the last seven races, Stenhouse — the defending series champ — has two wins and has finished no worse than sixth.

MARTINSVILLE, Va. — For 497 laps on a gorgeous Sunday afternoon, a 200th NASCAR Sprint Cup victory for Hendrick Motorsports seemed a foregone conclusion.

The only real question was whether Jeff Gordon or Jimmie Johnson would deliver the win in the Goody’s Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway.

Between them, Gordon and Johnson led 440 laps. The teammates — with 13 Martinsville victories and nine championships between them — were fighting for the lead late in the race when a yellow flag turned the proceedings inside-out.

Moments after Gordon wrested the top spot from Johnson out of Turn 4 on Lap 497, NASCAR threw a caution because David Reutimann’s No. 10 Chevrolet lost power and stopped at the end of the frontstretch.

That set up a restart on Lap 504 and the wild wreck that followed. Gordon and Johnson, the only two drivers who had stayed out on old tires, left the field to the green. Race winner Ryan Newman gave Clint Bowyer’s Toyota a shove on the frontstretch, and Bowyer took Gordon and Johnson three-wide into the first turn.

Simply put, Bowyer ran out of room, slid into Gordon and spun himself and the Chevys of Gordon and Johnson.

“You’ve got tires, they don’t, and they spin the tires (on the restart),” Bowyer said. “The 39 (Newman) hits you in the rear. I mean, if I didn’t go down there, the 39 (would have), and we all just run out of real estate, and that’s the nature of the beast at this place.”

Johnson said he has learned that three-wide doesn’t work when you get to the corners at Martinsville.

“It’s really inviting to try to make it three-wide on the inside going into the turn, and you do have the room on the straightaway, but when you get to the corner — the way the curb shoots out — there is no inside lane there,” Johnson said.

“Clint put us all in a bad situation and made the dive-bomb in there, and I’m sure once he got inside, he saw what he had in front of him and was trying to wedge a hole, and it just turned us all around. Unfortunate deal, and I just wish he had been a little more patient there and didn’t create that wreck.”

Dale Earnhardt Jr., who finished third, didn’t fault Bowyer for trying to win the race.

“The No. 15 (Bowyer) dove to the bottom, and it’s his right,” Earnhardt said. “He was doing what he wanted to do to try and win the race . . . So I think Clint did what he had to do.”

KESELOWSKI FRUSTRATED AND CONFUSED

Brad Keselowski was upset with David Reutimann and mystified by NASCAR. The driver of the No. 2 Penske Dodge couldn’t understand why Reutimann stayed on track with a wounded car and ultimately changed the course of the race when his car lost power and stopped on the frontstretch.

Nor could Keselowski understand why NASCAR scored him eighth for the final restart when he had taken the previous green flag in the fourth position and appeared to clear the wreck in Turn 1 in second place behind Newman.

“First off, go back to the yellow with the 10 car (Reutimann) stopped on the track,” Keselowski said. “That was really, really uncalled for and ruined the day for a lot of people, Jeff (Gordon), Jimmie (Johnson) and myself, from having a lot better finishes. I think we’re all really, really frustrated with that guy. We came in and got tires and definitely had a shot at the race (win), at least a top-four or -five finish for sure.

“Then the question comes, what’s the lineup for that last restart? That’s hard to tell. I don’t have all the info, whether they went by (reverting to the last scoring) loop, where the yellow came out or whether it was video review. My gut says we should have been a lot further ahead of where we were allowed to restart. I don’t have all the info, so it was one of those deals.”

MORE PAIN FOR KAHNE
The frustrations of Hendrick newbie Kasey Kahne compounded Sunday when an engine failure eliminated the pole-winning No. 5 Chevy from the race after 256 laps.

Kahne finished 38th and dropped to 31st in the Cup standings.

“We had a great (car),” a frustrated Kahne said. “Really fast — and the best I’ve ever been here. The engine was running great, and we were just battling a little loose (handling condition).

“It was fun driving, and we had a small engine problem that turned into a big one on the backstretch and just shut off. I had oil on my tires when I hit pit road. I didn’t want to oil the surface for all the guys out there, so I just shot to the pits and went spinning. It wasn’t a big deal, because I didn’t hit anything — luckily.

That was about the only lucky thing that happened to the star-crossed driver, who has but one top-15 finish in his first six starts in a Hendrick car.

“I’m upset that we haven’t run great this year,” Kahne said, “but we are great on Friday and Saturday, we were fast again today, and we have the speed — so when it’s our time, we’ll be ready to take advantage of it.”

MARTINSVILLE, Va. — In the wake of a controversial late-race caution, Ryan Newman spoiled an afternoon of Hendrick hegemony with an opportunistic victory in the Goody’s Fast Relief 500 Sunday at Martinsville Speedway.

After Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson dominated the action for 497 laps, an untimely caution flag flew on Lap 497 and sent the race to overtime, after David Reutimann stalled on the frontstretch.

Gordon and Johnson stayed out on old tires as the lead-lap cars behind them came to the pits for tires and fuel. On the restart on lap 504, Clint Bowyer took Johnson and Gordon three-wide into the first corner, and all three cars spun, ruining a potential 200th victory party for Hendrick Motorsports.

After the dust settled, Newman cleared runner-up AJ Allmendinger on the second lap of a green-white-checkered-flag restart and held on to win by .342 seconds. Dale Earnhardt Jr. ran third, followed by Matt Kenseth and Martin Truex Jr.

The victory was Newman’s first of the season, his first at Martinsville and the 16th of his career. It was the third win of the year in six events for Stewart-Haas Racing.

“I felt like I wasn’t racing AJ on that restart — I felt like I was racing Junior behind me,” said Newman, who overcame a pit road speeding penalty and earned a free pass to the lead lap under the third caution before rallying to win. “It was really important to me to not spin my tires and get a good start and race AJ and try to eliminate the 88 (Earnhardt) from the race for the win.”

That’s exactly what Newman did. Over the final two laps, Newman and Allmendinger raced each other hard and cleanly, with Newman taking the green flag from the inside lane and Allmendinger lined up to the outside.

“He ran me really clean,” Allmendinger said. “He didn’t shove me up the racetrack like he could have. He gave me the opportunity to beat him on the outside there. We were just not turning good enough in the center (of the corners) there on the restart.

“But we had a shot at it. That’s all you can ask for.”

The suspense and hard racing of the final two laps was overshadowed by the intensity of criticism in some quarters — notably the Hendrick domain — for Reutimann’s failure to bring his car to pit road. Reutimann broke a suspension part in the late going but remained on the track. Then his engine failed, and his car came to a stop at the end of the frontstretch.

“I would like an explanation on why that happened, from him, his crew chief, somebody,” said Earnhardt, who was running third when the caution flew and likely would have finished there under any circumstances. “But there’s no . . . it doesn’t seem like there could be a logical reason for him to end up stopped on the track.

“He was running around slow; you got a problem, you really . . . get down and get on pit road. I don’t believe he had any trouble getting down. When we went by him the first time, he was low. I would like to hear a good excuse, to be honest with you, because I’m sure it would be laughable.”

Reutimann shares his ride with Danica Patrick, in an arrangement between Tommy Baldwin Racing, which fields cars for Reutimann, and Stewart-Haas, which is supporting a 10-race Cup schedule for Patrick.

A motivating factor in Reutimann’s staying on the track was his desire to keep the car in the top 35 in owners points — and thence exempt from qualifying on speed — until Patrick’s next scheduled Cup start May 12 at Darlington.

“I just hate that I was involved in anything that changed the complexion of the race, so I’ve got to apologize to the guys that it affected,” Reutimann said after the race. “It broke a tie rod or something like that. I was just trying to limp around there. We needed to finish the next couple of laps to try to stay in the top 35.

“The thing quit going down the back straightaway, and it shut off. I just didn’t stop there intentionally. I know it sucks. I hate it for everybody that it affected, but I mean I can’t get out and push the thing . . . I was just trying to finish the day out and trying to stay in top 35, which is why we were trying to limp around out there. They gave me the black flag. We were coming to pit road, and it shut off. And that’s far as I could go.”

Gordon had led 322 laps before Johnson passed him for the top spot on Lap 356. That brought Johnson all the way back from a pit road speeding penalty incurred on Lap 100 under the first caution of the race. Johnson was flagged for speeding on exit and restarted at the tail end of the field.

But with 80 percent of the race ahead of him, the five-time champion had plenty of time to work his way back to the front of the field.

Denny Hamlin beat both Johnson and Gordon off pit road on Lap 363, during pit stops under caution for Travis Kvapil’s spin in Turn 2, but Johnson regained the lead on Lap 393, passing Hamlin to the inside through Turns 1 and 2 after dogging the No. 11 Toyota for more than 10 circuits.

Gordon regained the lead on Lap 497 moments before the caution for Reutimann’s disabled car slowed the race. The eighth caution for the Bowyer/Gordon/Johnson wreck extended the race to 515 laps, 15 past the scheduled distance.

All told, Gordon led 328 laps and Johnson 112, but the two best cars weren’t near the front of the field when Newman took the checkered flag. Johnson came home 12th, the last driver on the lead lap. Gordon finished 14th, a lap down, after running out of fuel during the overtime.

RACE RESULTS

1. (5) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet, 515, $198,808.
2. (27) AJ Allmendinger, Dodge, 515, $150,610.
3. (14) Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet, 515, $116,985.
4. (21) Matt Kenseth, Ford, 515, $152,821.
5. (13) Martin Truex Jr., Toyota, 515, $117,949.
6. (3) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 515, $128,101.
7. (15) Tony Stewart, Chevrolet, 515, $133,410.
8. (19) Aric Almirola, Ford, 515, $121,196.
9. (7) Brad Keselowski, Dodge, 515, $117,455.
10. (4) Clint Bowyer, Toyota, 515, $111,999.
11. (28) Carl Edwards, Ford, 515, $124,451.
12. (22) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 515, $124,071.
13. (26) Greg Biffle, Ford, 514, $89,385.
14. (9) Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 514, $129,846.
15. (12) Marcos Ambrose, Ford, 513, $109,668.
16. (17) Regan Smith, Chevrolet, 513, $106,343.
17. (16) Bobby Labonte, Toyota, 513, $104,368.
18. (6) Brian Vickers, Toyota, 513, $79,035.
19. (2) Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet, 513, $125,971.
20. (20) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet, 513, $110,718.
21. (32) Juan Pablo Montoya, Chevrolet, 512, $108,176.
22. (18) Jeff Burton, Chevrolet, 512, $116,435.
23. (10) Joey Logano, Toyota, 511, $85,660.
24. (24) David Ragan, Ford, 511, $91,518.
25. (25) Casey Mears, Ford, 511, $89,218.
26. (11) Paul Menard, Chevrolet, 510, $84,685.
27. (34) Travis Kvapil, Toyota, 510, $93,907.
28. (38) David Gilliland, Ford, 509, $76,060.
29. (31) Landon Cassill, Toyota, 507, $102,230.
30. (39) David Stremme, Toyota, 506, $76,760.
31. (41) Hermie Sadler, Chevrolet, 505, $80,610.
32. (36) Ken Schrader, Ford, 503, $80,460.
33. (40) Kurt Busch, Chevrolet, 497, $80,235.
34. (42) Dave Blaney, Chevrolet, Brakes, 439, $72,110.
35. (29) David Reutimann, Chevrolet, Engine, 436, $72,060.
36. (8) Kyle Busch, Toyota, 435, $119,218.
37. (43) JJ Yeley, Toyota, Brakes, 359, $71,930.
38. (1) Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet, Engine, 256, $86,253.
39. (37) Joe Nemechek, Toyota, Brakes, 74, $69,100.
40. (23) Michael McDowell, Ford, Brakes, 60, $69,025.
41. (30) Josh Wise, Ford, Brakes, 49, $68,975.
42. (33) Scott Riggs, Chevrolet, Brakes, 30, $68,895.
43. (35) Reed Sorenson, Chevrolet, Brakes, 25, $68,418.

Average Speed of Race Winner: 78.823 mph.
Time of Race: 3 hours, 26 minutes, 12 seconds.
Margin of Victory: 0.342 seconds.
Caution Flags: 7 for 56 laps.
Lead Changes: 19 among 10 drivers.
Lap Leaders: K. Harvick 1-21; J. Gordon 22-99; B. Keselowski 100; J. Gordon 101-228; D. Earnhardt Jr. 229-231; J. Gordon 232; D. Hamlin 233; C. Bowyer 234-235; M. Kenseth 236; A. Almirola 237-239; J. Gordon 240-322; B. Keselowski 323; J. Gordon 324-355; J. Johnson 356-362; D. Hamlin 363-392; J. Johnson 393-496; J. Gordon 497-502; J. Johnson 503; R. Newman 504-515.
Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): J. Gordon 6 times for 328 laps; J. Johnson 3 times for 112 laps; D. Hamlin 2 times for 31 laps; K. Harvick 1 time for 21 laps; R. Newman 1 time for 12 laps; A. Almirola 1 time for 3 laps; D. Earnhardt Jr. 1 time for 3 laps; C. Bowyer 1 time for 2 laps; B. Keselowski 2 times for 2 laps; M. Kenseth 1 time for 1 lap.
Top 12 in Points: G. Biffle – 226; D. Earnhardt Jr. – 220; T. Stewart – 214; M. Kenseth – 214; K. Harvick – 214; M. Truex Jr. – 214; D. Hamlin – 210; R. Newman – 202; C. Bowyer – 192; J. Johnson – 189; C. Edwards – 179; B. Keselowski – 175.

Race Awards
3M Lap Leader: Jeff Gordon, 328 Laps
American Ethanol Green Flag Restart Award: Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Coors Light Pole Award: Kasey Kahne, 97.128 mph
DIRECTV Crew Chief of the Race: Tony Gibson, No. 39 Ryan Newman
Mahle Clevite Engine Builder of the Race: Hendrick Engines, No. 39 team
Mobil 1 Oil Driver of the Race: Ryan Newman
Moog Chassis Parts Problem Solver of the Race: Jimmy Fennig, crew chief for Matt Kenseth, 0.059 seconds
USG Improving the Finish: Matt Kenseth, 17 places

Outback Steakhouse will be the primary sponsor of SHR’s No. 39 team and driver Ryan Newman for two races in 2012, and when not serving as a primary sponsor, will be an associate sponsor with placement on the B-post of the No. 39 Chevrolet Impala. Outback Steakhouse joins the U.S. Army, Quicken Loans and Tornados as primary sponsors of the No. 39 team.

“We’re thrilled to partner with Stewart-Haas Racing and Ryan Newman who are recognized for their leadership and performance on and off the track,” said Mike Kappitt, chief marketing officer, Outback Steakhouse. “It’s especially meaningful to us to continue Outback’s longstanding commitment to supporting troops and their families by being a sponsor on the No. 39 U.S. Army Chevrolet.”

Since first opening in 1988, Tampa, Fla.-based Outback Steakhouse has hosted military events and initiatives all over the country and abroad including its Thanks for Giving program, which over the last two years has donated $2 million to Operation Homefront, a nonprofit organization that supports military troops and their families, and its Operation Feeding Freedom initiative that sends teams of Outbackers overseas to feed American troops stationed abroad.

“I’ve always been a huge fan of Outback Steakhouse, and I know why it’s been voted the best steak year in and year out,” said Newman, winner of 15 Sprint Cup races, including the 50th running of the Daytona 500 in 2008. “They have a quality product that I’m very familiar with and we’re certainly proud to be representing Outback Steakhouse on the racetrack.”

In officially launching the partnership, Outback Steakhouse’s logo, along with a special message to United States Veterans, will be featured on the decklid of Newman’s No. 39 U.S. Army Chevy during this weekend’s Sprint Cup event at Phoenix International Raceway. Fittingly, the U.S. Army Chevy carries a special paint scheme during this Veterans Day weekend at Phoenix honoring Army Vietnam Veterans. A collage made up of hundreds of photos of those who served is incorporated into the car’s design.

“We’re honored to have Outback Steakhouse join Stewart-Haas Racing,” added Stewart, who in his three years as a Sprint Cup team owner has qualified for the Chase for the Sprint Cup each season while scoring 10 of his 43 career Sprint Cup victories, the most recent of which came last Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth. “The company’s reputation for quality and great service is second to none in the restaurant industry, and it’s a true pleasure to be associated with a company and a product that is admired by so many, including myself. We’re looking forward to doing some great things together on and off the racetrack.”

Quicken Loans will be the primary sponsor of SHR’s No. 39 team and driver Ryan Newman for nine races in 2012, and when not serving as a primary sponsor, will be an associate sponsor. Additionally, Quicken Loans will be an associate sponsor on the No. 14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet Impala of Stewart throughout the 2012 Sprint Cup season.

To kick off this partnership, Newman and the No. 39 team will carry a special paint scheme to highlight the upcoming Quicken Loans Carrier Classic during this weekend’s Sprint Cup event at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth.

The Quicken Loans Carrier Classic pits the No. 1 North Carolina Tarheels against the Michigan State Spartans in an unprecedented season-opener to the NCAA Division 1 Men’s Basketball schedule, as the game will be played on the flight deck of the U.S.S. Carl Vinson on Nov. 11, 2011 – Veterans Day. The game will be held at Naval Base Coronado in the San Diego Harbor in front of 7,000 military personnel and spectators while being televised live on ESPN at 7 p.m. EST/4 p.m. PST.

“As a company that prides itself on the speed and ease of its loan process, it only made sense for Quicken Loans to partner with NASCAR – a sport built around amazingly fast cars and extremely talented drivers,” said Jay Farner, president and chief marketing officer of Quicken Loans. “More than just sponsoring Ryan Newman, we’ve found a perfect partner in Stewart-Haas Racing. Right from the first conversation with them, we knew we had found a team as driven to amaze as we are.”

Quicken Loans will share space on the No. 39 Chevrolet Impala with the U.S. Army, which has sponsored Newman since the inception of SHR in 2009.

“It’s an absolute pleasure to share the No. 39 car with the U.S. Army,” Farner added. “We’re one of the nation’s largest VA mortgage providers and a company that appreciates the selfless sacrifices our military make for us every day. It is why we are the title sponsor of the Quicken Loans Carrier Classic and why we’re leveraging the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Texas Motor Speedway to promote this one-of-a-kind experience on the flight deck of the U.S.S. Carl Vinson.”

Newman, winner of 15 Sprint Cup races, including the 2008 Daytona 500, will carry Quicken Loans branding this weekend at Texas and during the 2012 Sprint Cup season.

“It’s an honor to represent the U.S. Army and it’s great to have Quicken Loans join our team, because now we can do even more to help active Soldiers and veterans alike,” said Newman, winner of the 2003 Sprint Cup race at Texas. “There’s such a parallel between what we do in NASCAR and what our Soldiers do. They go to battle, and their only goal is to win. To partner with a company as engaged with the military as SHR is something that makes us all very proud.”

This year, Quicken Loans will improve the financial situation of nearly 150,000 American families and more than 11,000 active and retired military clients by providing assistance in purchasing or refinancing their homes.

“We’re very proud to partner with Quicken Loans,” said Stewart, who in his three years as a Sprint Cup team owner has qualified for the Chase for the Sprint Cup each time while scoring nine of his 42 career Sprint Cup victories. “They’re new to the sport and we aim to make their entry into NASCAR a positive one that will grow their business, and ultimately, grow their involvement within the sport and Stewart-Haas Racing.”

In honor of Veterans Day and the millions of people who have served in the Armed Forces, Quicken Loans recently made a $111,111 (Veterans Day falls on November 11, 2011) donation to the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society, which provides financial, educational and other assistance to members of the Naval Services, family members and survivors. For more information, please visit www.QuickenLoansCarrierClassic.com.